Allies beat the Soviet Blockade of Berlin

When the war ended in 1945, Germany was divided with American, Soviet, French and British zones. The city of Berlin, deep in the heart of the Soviet Zone was also divided and isolated. It depended on outside support for its very survival needing food, fuel and all necessities to be shipped in.

Supplies for the “Western” zones came through agreed land corridors from western Germany. Those corridors only existed because they were allowed by the Soviets but only by their permission. Air access, however, was different and was agreed by treaty and legally binding.

The Soviets looked on their zone as being the basis for a united Germany under their influence. They believed that whatever happened to Berlin would happen to Germany and then Europe as a whole.

The other powers had similar ambitions for their area. This had to lead to conflict. First, through the Marshal Plan, and then, by combining their zones, the Western Powers began working towards an autonomous German state. The Soviets saw this as an obstacle to their plans and reacted by making life as difficult as possible for the western zones in Berlin.

Early in June 1948, the Soviets stopped an American supply train and refused to allow it enter West Berlin. By the end of the month, they blocked all land access to Berlin and the city was totally isolated.

There was the problem not just of supplying the occupying forces but the more than two million civilians in the city. The Soviets believed the Allies would have no option but to pull out of Berlin.

The Allies started flying in supplies but it was soon clear that what they could carry was only a drop in the ocean in comparison to what was needed.

Using all available planes the most they could hope to carry was 1,000 tons per day and that included both food and fuel, whereas the city needed almost 2,000 tons of food daily just to keep the population alive.

1,500 tons of fuel daily was the most pressing need because all the city’s power plants were located in the Soviet sector and they were also cut off. Initially the available planes were C47s but such were their size that they would need to make 1,000 flights per day.

Bigger planes were brought in and before the end of the month they brought in 52 huge Skymaster planes. Day after day the flights continued. They were so intense that, at one stage, flights landed in Berlin every minute. The Soviets ridiculed the idea but eventually realised that the Allies had no intention of stopping. They finally lifted the land blockade after almost 12 months. The Allies however continued the airlifts out until September 1949 to ensure that there would be a standby supply always available in Berlin.

America and Britain flew 278,000 flights during the blockade and delivered almost 2.5 million tons of supplies. The Australian Air Force delivered 8,000 tons on 2,000 flights. The combined flights totalled nearly 100 million miles. The estimated financial cost of the airlift was approximately $400 million. There was also a human cost with 100 fatalities.

The Soviet Blockade of Berlin which resulted in the huge air operation was lifted on May 12, 1949 – 64 years ago this week.